With submission of 14.4 I'm in the midst of an odyssey to keep TomTom car kit support. Since iOS5, Apple requires app providers to get an explicit certification from accessory manufacturers if they want to access there device specific interfaces. This access is required to get the benefits of direct NMEA access - first implemented for the TomTom car kit in LapTimer version 10.

To date I have received this certification from Emprum for their UltiMate GPS and from Dual for their XGPS150. I have not yet found a way getting this certification from TomTom however. I have applied at Apple for an exception for the still not approved version 14.4 - I simply do not want to keep the benefits from 14.4 and the new 5 Hz GPS options away from my clients. I want to release 14.4 as soon as possible. Oddly, I'm not granted that exception.

So what will I do? Firstly, I will further push getting the missing certification. Till then, I will need to drop TomTom car kit support and remove the direct NMEA access here. Doing this, NMEA specific functionality will be dropped (Satellites View, increased accuracy). The TomTom will deliver its GPS information through Apple's location service and still deliver some benefit.

I will state the impact in the update release notes. In case you are a TomTom user, please decide ahead of the update if you want to keep direct access and stick with 14.3, or if you accept a (hopefully) temporary drop of features added by the direct access.

Thanks for the update Harry!As a user of the TomTom car kit, I am very hopeful that TomTom will provide the needed certification. In the interim, I have submitted a request to TomTom through their on-line support page to get this done. I would also suggest that other TomTom car kit users do the same to help TomTom understand the importance of staying tied to Harry's Laptimer apps!

Hi Harry and all.This is very inconvenient of Tom Tom. I wrote to them, but to do so had to register on their site and send the request that way.Hope this helps Harry.Cheers Steve

Here is what I sent:

Hi Tom Tom,I use the above lap timer app which is brilliant and which until now utilises the TT car kit for access to NMEA. There are 100's of people who bought your car kit just for this purpose. Apparently Tom Tom will not give certification to Harry's Lap Timer.

I quote from Happy's Lap Timer:"With submission of 14.4 I'm in the midst of an odyssey to keep TomTom car kit support. Since iOS5, Apple requires app providers to get an explicit certification from accessory manufacturers if they want to access there device specific interfaces. This access is required to get the benefits of direct NMEA access - first implemented for the TomTom car kit in LapTimer version 10.

To date I have received this certification from Emprum for their UltiMate GPS and from Dual for their XGPS150. I have not yet found a way getting this certification from TomTom however. I have applied at Apple for an exception for the still not approved version 14.4 - I simply do not want to keep the benefits from 14.4 and the new 5 Hz GPS options away from my clients. I want to release 14.4 as soon as possible. Oddly, I'm not granted that exception.

So what will I do? Firstly, I will further push getting the missing certification. Till then, I will need to drop TomTom car kit support and remove the direct NMEA access here. Doing this, NMEA specific functionality will be dropped (Satellites View, increased accuracy). The TomTom will deliver its GPS information through Apple's location service and still deliver some benefit."

Can I plead with Tom Tom to contact Harald Schlangmann to discuss this as I know you will be missing out on heaps of sales and inconveniencing 100's of people that have purchase your car kit for to use with this very app.